Princesses are a crucial component ofDisney’s empire. Inspired by children’s fairy tales, their stories are already familiar to the audience as they have watched them over and over again throughout their childhood. One thing that is not widely known is that instead of being merely characters within Disney’s broad spectrum, princesses hold a special distinction: they are not all equal before the eyes of the company, and only those who meet all the necessary requirements, as outlined byScreen Rant, are deemed official princesses.
Despite this distinction between characters, there is one thing that all the Disney princess movies share in common: the existence of the animal sidekick. These are extremely important characters in any movie, as they are the ones who follow, advise and guide the main character, not to mention their comic relief content. Nevertheless, in princess movies sidekicks take on an even greater part, as most of the princesses either are alone or feel lonely. Ranging from Cinderella, who lived miserably with her stepmother and her wicked stepsisters, to Moana, raised surrounded by her family and people’s love, but feeling like she was different from them, every Disney princess relied on her little animal buddy to help her reach a happy ending, while also educating the audience on the importance of loving and respecting animals. And, even though he doesn’t belong to this category, an honorable mention should go to one of the best sidekicks of all time: Olaf, the adorable snowman fromFrozen. And now, here is a look back at eight of the best Disney princess animal sidekicks of all time.
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8Heihei — Moana
Heihei becameMoana’s sidekick almost by accident, when he hid in the boat that she took with her on her journey to restore Te Fiti’s heart. Far from helping during the voyage, Heihei kept putting himself in constant danger, forcing Moana to stop whatever she was doing in order to rescue her friend. However, this clumsy and funny rooster was vitally important to the young Motunui heiress' mission, as he was the one who saved Te Fiti’s heart when Te Kā attacked them, showing that, despite being a bit clumsy, he was a thoughtful and big-hearted companion.
7Ray — The Princess and The Frog
The final scene of this little bug inThe Princess and the Frogis certainly among the most heartwarming scenes of the entire Disney movie lineup.Ray is a little fireflywho played a crucial role in helping Tiana and Prince Naveen meet Mama Odie to undo the spell and become human again. Ray spent his days longing for Evangeline, a star he mistook for another firefly. By the end of the movie, he was already very ill and eventually died, with all his friends mourning him sadly. Nevertheless, Disney proved once again that everything is possible, and in one beautiful scene, the audience could appreciate the encounter between Ray and his beloved Evangeline.
6Rajah — Aladdin
This fearsome Bengal tiger is actually a gigantic, sweet cat. Yet his part as sidekick inAladdinwas to always support and defend Jasmine, a princess who suffered from being isolated from society alongside her loving but controlling father and was being pressured to marry suitors she didn’t like. Rajah was the one in charge of driving away all the young men who would come to Jasmine bearing the wrong intentions, helping her escape from her home when she decided to start living, and even comforting her when things didn’t turn out as she expected. A truly unconditional companion who had no problem roaring at whoever it took to protect his friend.
5Meeko — Pocahontas
Meeko was Pocahontas' unconditional companion, and he was known to get into trouble very often due to his gluttony. This little raccoon was always looking for something good to eat throughoutPocahontas, even if he had to do illegal stuff, like going through somebody else’s pockets and breaking into other people’s houses, to do so. The adorable Meeko was not Pocahontas' only friend, as there was also Flit, a very friendly but ill-tempered hummingbird, and of course Nakoma, who had been a friend of the princess since childhood and often tended to act in a more responsible way, helping her friend to think about her actions and the consequences of them.
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4Jaq & Gus — Cinderella
WhileCinderellawas surrounded by little animals that helped her to free herself from the abuse of her stepmother and stepsisters, her best friends were definitely Jaq and Gus. This pair of mice, as is often the case with more than one duo, could not be more different: Jaq was agile, skilled and quick-witted. Gus, on the other hand, was a bit clumsy, not the quickest at coming up with plans, and tended to think mostly about food. However, beyond their differences, these great friends had something in common: the enormous affection they felt for Cinderella and their desire to help her overcome any situation.
3Pascal — Tangled
Pascal is one of the exemplary cases of why the part played by the animal sidekick is crucial in the story of Disney princesses. This little chameleon was Rapunzel’s companion and only friend inTangled. He lived with her in the tower and hid whenever Mother Gothel came up to visit the princess. Despite not communicating verbally, Pascal was extremely expressive, not only with his face but also with the colors his body adopted in different situations and through his moods. This little animal was one of the main characters responsible for encouraging Rapunzel to leave the tower and go out into the world, but having lived together for so long, he developed a strong sense of overprotection of the princess, and was constantly watching out for anyone who might approach her with malicious intentions.
2Mushu — Mulan
Mushu is one of the funniest sidekicks of all time. He used to be the guardian of Mulan’s ancestors, but after he messed up and caused one of them to be beheaded, he was relieved of his position. Nevertheless, after failing once again in a mission by breaking the statue of the Great Stone Dragon, he became the one in charge of taking care of the princess in her journey through the army. This little dragon with a height complex was quite funny and very self-confident, despite messing up quite often. And although at the beginning of the story his intentions were not entirely selfless, Mushu actually proved to be big-hearted. His presence was adored in the animated movie, and therefore greatlymissed in theMulanremake.
1Flounder & Sebastian — The Little Mermaid
The first spot of this ranking goes to a pair of sidekicks that were equally iconic and important for the development of the storyline and Ariel’s character, although in very different ways. Flounder was a small yellow and blue fish who couldn’t say no to any of the little mermaid’s adventures, but suffered them due to being extremely fearful. Sebastian, on the other hand, was King Triton’s assistant and composer in Atlantica’s court. This crab was quite grumpy and spent his days trying to get Ariel out of whatever trouble she was in. However, deep down he had a huge heart and everything he did was for the welfare of the young girl.
